1. Female Wistar rats (5 and 11 weeks old) were either left intact or ovariectomized. Animals of each age- and treatment-group were either ad lib.-fed or undernourished for 4 weeks.

2. The bodies of all animals were analysed for protein and fat and the weights, lipid synthesis rate and lipoprotein lipase (EC 3.1. 1.34) activity of four fat depots were determined.

3. The well-nourished ovariectomized animals of both age-groups gained weight more rapidly than the well-nourished intact animals of the same age, but there was no effect of ovariectomy on body composition, lipid synthesis rate or lipoprotein lipase activity in either the well-nourished or the undernourished animals of either age-group.

4. There was a greater efficiency of energy utilization found in the ovariectomized animals than in the intact animals regardless of age or nutritional status.

Muscle mass may play an important role in the metabolic profile of individuals with or without excess weight. Metabolic phenotypes classify individuals as healthy or unhealthy based on certain metabolic conditions. We investigated the association between skeletal mass indices (SMI) and the metabolically unhealthy phenotype in normal-weight and overweight/obese adults. A total of 660 adults aged 20 to 59 years were assessed by a population-based cross-sectional study. Muscle mass of the limbs or appendicular lean mass (ALM) adjusted for weight (SMIweight) and BMI (SMIBMI) was used to evaluate SMI. Logistic regression was employed to estimate the association between SMIweight, SMIBMI and metabolic phenotypes of normal-weight and overweight/obese individuals. Metabolically unhealthy individuals were older in both sexes. Metabolically unhealthy men had lower SMI values and higher fat percentage than metabolically healthy men. SMIweight was inversely associated with the metabolically unhealthy phenotype, both in normal-weight men (OR 0·49, 95 % CI 0·24, 0·99, P = 0·04) and in overweight/obese men (OR 0·32, 95 % CI 0·16, 0·64, P = 0·001). SMIBMI was inversely associated with the metabolically unhealthy phenotype in overweight/obese men (OR 0·36, 95 % CI 0·18, 0·72, P = 0·004), but not in normal-weight men (OR 0·70, 95 % CI 0·34, 1·43, P = 0·33). Among women, SMI showed no significant association with the phenotypes. In conclusion, the SMI are inversely associated with the metabolically unhealthy phenotype in men, especially among overweight/obese men.

The aim of this study is to examine the empirical insulinemic potential consisting of dietary and lifestyle factors and the interactive effect with the common genetic susceptibility locus rs2423279 on the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). This case–control study was conducted with 923 CRC patients and 1846 controls. The empirical measures for assessing the insulinemic potential, namely, the empirical dietary index for hyperinsulinemia (EDIH), for insulin resistance (EDIR), the empirical lifestyle index for hyperinsulinemia (ELIH), and for insulin resistance (ELIR), were calculated based on semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire and lifestyle questionnaire. A genetic variant of rs2423279 was genotyped. The CRC patients were more likely to score in the highest quartile for the ELIH (OR 2·90, Q4 v. Q1, 95 % CI (2·01, 4·19), P for trend < 0·001), EDIR (OR 3·32, Q4 v. Q1, 95 % CI (2·32, 4·74), P < 0·001) and ELIR (OR 2·79, Q4 v. Q1, 95 % CI (1·96, 3·97), P < 0·001) than the controls. The significant effect between the ELIR, which assesses dietary and lifestyle patterns related to insulin resistance, and C allele carriers of rs2423279 was stronger than that for homozygous T allele carriers (OR 2·50, 95 % CI (1·78, 3·51), P for interaction = 0·034). The empirical insulinemic potential for insulin resistance might have interactive effects with the rs2423279 polymorphism on the risk of CRC. The results of this study suggest the basis of the metabolic impact of the insulin response on colorectal carcinogenesis.

Urinary excretion of acid-soluble peptides (ASP) was measured in rats given streptozotocin or dexamethasone. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats excreted increased amounts of urinary nitrogen and ASP-form amino acids. The urinary ratio for N: ASP-form leucine plus valine, which has been shown to reflect the efficiency of dietary N utilization, increased in the diabetic rats, suggesting the impaired utilization of dietary N (and re-utilization of endogenous N). Dexamethasone administration to adrenalectomized rats caused increased excretion of urinary ASP-form leucine plus valine with a concomitant increase in N excretion. However, urinary ratio for N: ASP-form leucine plus valine did not change significantly. The results suggested that dexamethasone caused increased degradation of body proteins, but maintained the efficiency of dietary N utilization or re-utilization of endogenous N. Based on the present observations and the hypothesis proposed previously by the present authors (Noguchi et al. 1988) that urinary excretion of ASP-form leucine plus valine reflects the rate of whole-body protein degradation and the urinary ratio for N: ASP-form leucine plus valine represents N utilization, the origin of urinary N in streptozotocin-diabetic and dexamethasone-administered rats is discussed

It is by no means an exaggeration to say that Dr Widdowson is one of the pioneers of body composition research and her studies in the 1940s and 1950s have laid the foundations of body composition science today. These have included both animal and human studies, although this paper will focus only on the latter. Together with Professor McCance and Christine Spray she was responsible for the analysis of three entire adult human cadavers and that of a 4-year-old child (Widdowson et al. 1951). Further work with Dr Dickerson explored the composition of specific tissues and organs of the body (Widdowson & Dickerson, 1964). These studies provide some of the best direct data on human body composition. Moreover the findings from this work form the basis of the indirect techniques which are used so widely today.

It has been suggested that added sugar intake is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, previous studies only focused on sugar-sweetened beverages; the evidence for associations with total added sugars and their sources is scarce. This study aimed to examine the associations of total added sugars, their physical forms (liquid v. solid) and food sources with risk of NAFLD among adults in Tianjin, China. We used data from 15 538 participants, free of NAFLD, other liver diseases, CVD, cancer or diabetes at baseline (2013–2018 years). Added sugar intake was estimated from a validated 100-item FFQ. NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasonography after exclusion of other causes of liver diseases. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding 95 % CI for NAFLD risk with added sugar intake. During a median follow-up of 4·2 years, 3476 incident NAFLD cases were documented. After adjusting for age, sex, BMI and its change from baseline to follow-up, lifestyle factors, personal and family medical history and overall diet quality, the multivariable HR of NAFLD risk were 1·18 (95 % CI 1·06, 1·32) for total added sugars, 1·20 (95 % CI 1·08, 1·33) for liquid added sugars and 0·96 (95 % CI 0·86, 1·07) for solid added sugars when comparing the highest quartiles of intake with the lowest quartiles of intake. In this prospective cohort of Chinese adults, higher intakes of total added sugars and liquid added sugars, but not solid added sugars, were associated with a higher risk of NAFLD.

1. In vitro assay procedures were applied in the measurement of available amino acids in a selection of fish meals representing good- and poor-quality product. Results were assessed by comparing them with results from chick-growth assays.

2. Available methionine and tryptophan were assayed microbiologically with Streptococcus zymogenes, after predigestion of the test samples with papain or pronase. Results for methionine were correlated with chick-growth assays (r 0.86 for papain, 0.91 for pronase; P < 0.01). Compared with the chick assays, papain tended to give lower, and pronase higher, results. Finer milling of the test samples did not influence the pronase values.

3. Results for available tryptophan were also correlated with chick-growth assays (r 0.95 for papain, 0.96 for pronase; P < 0.001). Compared with the chick values, papain gave markedly lower results and pronasem marginally higher ones. Finer milling of the test samples increased the papain values by about 50% but had no effect with pronase.

4. Available lysine was assayed microbiologically with Tetrahymena pyriformis and with a dye-binding procedure (DBL). The results correlated with the chick-growth assays (r 0.99 for DBL, P < 0.001; 0.85 for Tetrahymena, P < 0.01) but both methods overrated the poorer-quality samples.

5. True nitrogen digestibilities and amino acid digestibilities were determined with chickens by the 'ileal analysis' procedure: the amino acid digestibilities were significantly higher and similar to the corresponding availabilities as measured in chick-growth assays.

6. Ball milling a poor-quality fish meal caused a marked fall in its N digestibility, whereas similar treatment of a good-quality meal caused a slight increase. An explanation for this finding is proposed.

7. Strep. zymogenes assays following pronase digestion of the test samples gave precise and acceptably accurate measures of the biologically available methionine and tryptophan in the test samples. For available lysine, Tetrahymena and DBL values for the poorer-quality samples were notably higher than the chick-growth assay; possible reasons for this are discussed. The ileal analysis procedure underestimated true N digestibility.

1. The absorption and secretion of 65Zn in the stomach and intestinal tract regions was studied in sets of two and three sheep which were exchanging digesta via re-entrant cannulas in the proximal duodenum. One sheep from each of the three three-sheep sets was dosed intraruminally with the radioisotope. One sheep from the three two-sheep sets received an intravenous dose.

2. Measurements of 65Zn in blood plasma from intraruminally dosed sheep showed that there was no apparent absorption from the stomach region. Measurements from sheep receiving radioactive digesta intraduodenally showed that mean apparent absorption of 65Zn was 0.07 and mean true absorption was 0.103. There was a large variation in endogenous recycling of 65Zn into the stomach region.

3. Secretion of 65Zn into the stomach and intestinal regions in the intravenously dosed sheep of the two-sheep sets was calculated on the basis of total recovery over 10 d in the digesta and faeces. The present study showed that for every 1 molecule Zn secreted into the stomach region, 2.1 molecules were secreted into the intestinal tract region.

1. Ascorbic acid deficiency results in a reduction in the activity of the hepatic mixed function oxidase systems in the guinea-pig. In this study, male Dunkin-Hartley guinea-pigs were given 0, 50, 100, 200 or 300 mg ascorbic acid/d in two equal doses in buffered sucrose solution (200 g/l) for 4 d. Controls received an equal volume of sucrose solution.

2. A dose of 50 mg ascorbic acid/d resulted in a significant rise in the specific activities of both cytochromes P-450 and b5. At doses of 200 and 300 mg ascorbic acid/d the concentration of both haemoproteins was significantly lower than the control values. These effects were mirrored by total microsomal haem concentration.

3. These results suggest that when given in large doses, ascorbic acid ceases to act simply as a vitamin and should be considered a drug competing for substrates and cofactors with co-administered drugs and endogenous substrates such as cholesterol.

Pregnancy and diabetes lead to metabolic alterations in the energy balance that may not be completely independent. The objective of the present study was to look at the alterations induced by type 1 diabetes mellitus on the energy balance of pregnant rats and the offspring. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin injection 15 d before the starting of pregnancy. The rats had their energy balance variables followed for 21 d. Protein, fat and energy content of dams was determined from samples of the carcasses. Pregnancy led to increased energy intake, energy gain and energy expenditure as well as higher gross food efficiency than non-pregnant counterparts. Diabetes increased metabolizable energy intake but not the energy gain of the animals: they had very high energy expenditure, so that diabetes blocked the improvement in gross food efficiency shown during pregnancy. Offspring from diabetic dams were born with lower body weight. Pregnant animals did not present the usual energy storage as seen by lower energy gain of diabetic dams as well as by the lower fat content in the carcasses of pregnant diabetic rats. It is concluded that diabetes impairs the energy variables usually enhanced by pregnancy alone.

1. The excretion of calcium and potassium in urine, milk and faeces by grazing monozygotic twin cows has been determined at intervals throughout four grazing seasons.

2. In Expt I three sets of twins were used to study the variation within pairs in the excretion of Ca and K. It was found that the variation within pairs was non-significant and small, less than 5% of the overall mean, for all but one of the factors measured. The variation in urinary excretion of Ca within pairs was significant (P <0.05) in 1962.

3. In Expt 2 the effects of lactation on the excretion of Ca and K by three sets of twins were studied over two grazing seasons. Only one of each of the twins was in milk at a time, each twin being in milk for one season.

4. Lactation increased (P <0001) urinary and faecal Ca in 1964 but not in 1965. The concentrations of Cain the faeceswere lower (P <0.01) for lactatingthanfornon-lactating cows.

5. Lactation increased (P < 0.001) the excretion of K in urine and faeces. Differences within pairs in faecal concentration were significant in 1964 (P <0001) and 1965 (P < 0.01), but the effect was not attributable to lactation.

6. Significant differences between pairs were found for urinary Ca and K in 1964 (P < 0.05) and for the concentration of K in faeces in both years ( P < 001 or P < 0.001).

7. In 1964 greatest total excretions of Ca were found in June and July and of K in May, whereas in 1965, although the differences between periods for Ca and K were significant (P < 0.001), there were no obvious seasonal trends.

8. Mean intakes of Ca and K by the cows have been calculated from the estimated drymatter intake of herbage and the Ca and K content of the cut herbage and compared with total excretion in urine, milk and faeces. The differences between intake and excretion differed between periods (P < 0.001); for Ca, negative values were greatest in July and August in 1964 but not in 1965 and for K the values were small in July and large and positive in May, September and October in both years. The differences between lactating and non-lactating cows were significant for Ca(P < 0.001) and K (P < 0.01) in 1964. Selective grazing was considered to be the main factor responsible for these differences.